Workshops on Social Entrepreneurship Yield Pitch Perfect Winners

Workshops on Social Entrepreneurship Yield Pitch Perfect Winners

Ninth grade Birmingham City School students have a heightened sense of how to create positive changes within their community and society thanks to a series of workshops focused on Social Entrepreneurship. The Birmingham Education Foundation in conjunction with GEAR UP Birmingham (GUB) presented a five series workshop designed to raise awareness and foster potential community change agents. The Ninth Grade Social Entrepreneurship Conference held on January 25, 2018, at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex served as the culminating event to showcase pitches and identify overall winners. Student pitches centered on topics such as bullying, homelessness, abandoned housing, graduation rates and diversity/inclusion.

Meryem Turnagur, one of five Birmingham Education Foundation Program Specialists, summed up the workshop sessions topics as:

First Place winners were Jextany Harper, Lauren Simpson and Kyla Smith from Jackson-Olin High School.

Second Place winners were Sarah Granderson, Brentarius Boyd and Kayla O’Neal Frazier from Ramsay High School.

Third Place winners were Donovon Milliner and Tristian Williams from Wenonah High School.

“At Ed, we are always impressed by the hard work and talent that our BCS students demonstrate at events like the 9th Grade Social Entrepreneurship Conference,” said Mrs. Katrina Dada, Ed Program Director.

The Ninth Grade Social Entrepreneurship Conference was made possible through Birmingham Education Foundation’s partnership with GUB. GUB is a federally funded college awareness and readiness program that empowers students to attend and succeed in college. Funded through a 7-year grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education, its main focus is to promote success by providing a cohort of Birmingham City Schools’ students with opportunities to learn the necessary skills needed to attend and to graduate from college. GUB provides a plethora of resources and activities that promote a college-going culture for students, parents and educators alike. GUB believes that all students can attend college, if they choose, and because of this belief, GUB is committed to supporting a cohort of Birmingham City School students in their collegiate journey.